Aylesbury Lunchtime Music presents

Maha Zahid

29 February 2024

Starts: 12:45pm, Doors: 12:15pm

Duration: 1 hour (approx.)

£7 adults on the door (<18s & carers free)

Maha Zahid

Programme

  • 1862-1918

    La cathédrale engloutie (Debussy)

    “La cathédrale engloutie” (The Sunken Cathedral) is a musical composition written by the French composer Claude Debussy for solo piano. It was published in 1910 as the tenth prelude in Debussy’s first book of preludes. It is characteristic of Debussy in its form, harmony, and content. The piece is based on an ancient Breton myth in which a cathedral, submerged underwater off the coast of the Island of Ys, rises up from the sea on clear mornings when the water is transparent. Sounds can be heard of priests chanting, bells chiming, and the organ playing, from across the sea. Accordingly, Debussy uses certain harmonies to allude to the plot of the legend, in the style of musical symbolism.

  • 1797-1828

    Sonata in A major, D.664 (Schubert)

    i Allegro moderato ii Andante (in D major) iii Allegro

    Well regarded among pianists, the “Little” A major sonata is so called to distinguish it from the hefty 1828 sonata in the same key. It is the shortest among Schubert’s complete sonatas. The manuscript, completed in July 1819, was dedicated to Josephine von Koller of Steyr in Upper Austria, whom he considered to be “very pretty” and “a good pianist”. The lyrical, buoyant, in spots typically poignant nature of this sonata fits the image of a young Schubert in love, living in a summery Austrian countryside, which he also considered to be “unimaginably lovely”.

    The A major sonata is straightforward, with a dulcet melodic opening. It was the first of Schubert’s piano sonatas where the sonata form as perfected by his idol, Beethoven, does not seem wrestled with; rather, it is a “joyous breakthrough”, a carefree triumph over strict rules of construction.

  • 1862-1918

    Estampes, L. 100 (Debussy)

    i Pagodes (Pagodas), ii La soirée dans Grenade (Evening in Granada), iii Jardins sous la pluie (Gardens in the Rain)

    Estampes (Prints), L. 100, is a composition for solo piano by Claude Debussy. It was finished in 1903.

    This suite with 3 movements is one of a number of piano works by Debussy which are often described as impressionistic, a term borrowed from painting. This style of composition had been pioneered by Ravel in Jeux d’eau written in 1901, and was soon adopted by Debussy (for example in the earlier numbers of Images), but Debussy did not himself identify as an impressionist.

Performers

  • Maha Zahid

    Piano

    Native of Casablanca, Maha Zahid started playing the piano at the age of 6. She is studying in the Liège Royal conservatory

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Key information for concert goers

When

Every Thursday at 12:45pm (except August & over Christmas). Performances last around 60 minutes. Please enter quietly as there is a noon service in the Lady Chapel.

How much?

Entry is £7 per adult (card or cash), under 18s and carers are free. The price includes a programme. Donations are welcomed to subsidise the larger ensembles.

Where?

Performances are at St Mary’s Church in the heart of Aylesbury Old Town. See directions for further details.

Do I need to book?

No, just turn up. Doors open at 12:15 pm. Make sure you arrive in good time to get a seat.

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